Conversing with the Al Rashed International Shipping Company is like visiting the home of a happy joint family Mr. Bassim Saud Al-Rashed, the Director, explains the foundation behind the company’s success and their winning philosophy which he succinctly summarized as ‘’ Reputation Precedes money ''
We at the IIK team had a chance to witness this concept first-hand, when we went to interview this magnanimous Kuwaiti and his Indian counterparts Mr. Ravi Varrier, the Managing Director and Mr. Pradeep Menon, CFO
Excerpts from the interview:
IIK: You maintain the top position of a Kuwaiti dynasty of business. Quite an accomplishment! How do you feel?
Mr.Al Rashed: Thank you, but to me it feels like we are still at the initial stages. There’s still a long way to go and a lot to conquer. The minute we think we are at the top we are crushed.
IIK: We learned that your grandfather had started this business. Could you share with us the beginning and the progress of your company?
Mr Al. Rashed: My grandfather started a small business in 1911 in the field of trading. My father joined him later. In 1952, we started shipping and then decided to diversify. We entered shipping industry right behind the Kuwait Maritime Mercantile Company and are proud to say we were a part of the development in Kuwait during the early 1970’s, 1980 and after the 1st Gulf war and still we continue to do so doing right thing at right time.
I learnt a lot from him who taught us that in the hierarchy of great business, the value of reputation precedes money. I am still learning from my father Mr.Saud A Alrashed and with my uncles MR Saad Alrashed and Mr. Rashed Al rashed who are all very much involved in day to day activities . Over and above at present all Alrashed cousins are actively involved in business activates of shipping as well as other industries. It’s all about prioritizing reputation along with growth.
IIK: How long has it been since you entered the business?
Mr.Al Rashed: I’ve been with the company for over 28 years. I finished my graduation in the USA and went to Japan for an intern with a leading Shipping company YSL and joined Al-Rashed family business where Mr. Ravi Varrier and Pradeep was already the part of our shipping business.,
IIK: Mr. Ravi & Mr. Pradeep: How do you both feel about working with one of the business giants of Kuwait?
Mr. Ravi: Al Rashed has been my starting in Kuwait with a modest beginning from June 13 1977 at the age of nineteen and with a graphical growth reached up top most position since 1991 and now almost three and half decades associated with this family business have no plans of moving to another organization. MR. Pradeep has been here for the last 29 years. That’s the trend we’re used to over here. It moves beyond organizational loyalty. The only two major reasons our staff leave the company is either retirement or death. Though we’re built on old blood, we also maintain a legacy by promoting the next generation. More than 70 percent of our staff is Indians. And we’re always on the lookout for youngsters, who are fresh in this field and we are very much proud of stating second line Team are all well over 10-15 years with us and grown along with the company with lots of commitment and focused. We take it upon ourselves to train them according to the company requirement and with a strong team build up we are able to show our presence into neighbouring countries and running over all staff to 600 from a modest number of 5 member team immediately after the liberation of Kuwait in 1991.
IIK: Mr. Alrashed Why Indians?
Our bond with India has been for decades. For my family, it’s almost like a second home. During the 40's and the 50's, there was an onslaught of migration and many Indians came to Kuwait and joined our team. We’re proud to work with Indians; they set a good example with their work culture and ethics.
IIK: Have you been to India?
Yes, of course. Many times. My first trip was when I was in the sixth grade with my parents. In 1987, I had been there for the centenary celebrations of the Shipping Corporation of India. I’ve also had the rare privilege of being able to meet the Indian Prime Minister, Mr. Rajiv Gandhi and recently been to India alongwith family for a vacation
IIK: How compatible is Mr. Ravi in business with you?
Mr. Bassim: Mr. Ravi lends his strength to our foundation at all levels who was working under an efficient General Manager late Mr. Ghassn Zein and with his legacy , expertise knowledge justified Alrashed family members entrusted Mr. Ravi Varrier to this position in the company and Mr. Pradeep Menon as the CFO. It has been 22 years now, and the success story I envisaged has long since come true and there is no looking back.
Mr. Ravi: Al Rashed believes firmly in treating employees as part of the family. It’s definitely an atmosphere which makes people thrive. Mr. Bassim knows the name of each employee here.
Mr. Pradeep: We work as a team in a very cordial and friendly environment. Everybody is a leader at their own level and we believe in cultivating careers, not just cash flow.
IIK: Your journey in Al Rashed from the employee level to the top management level has been an inspiration for the Indian Community, can you explain? Can you share the virtues which have helped you achieve such a leadership position in this organization and the Kuwait market?
Mr. Ravi: It’s a success story of unhalted commitment and dedication to work , and loyalty to the bread winners .I made it my vision to understand systems that work , and fix the system that don’t . I’ve always respected competition and I take it in stride. I competed with myself, right from the beginning to win the race .There are no shortcuts to success and I advise youngsters to remember that when they start building your career. Another thing is willingness to learn. Some of our staff had initially come in with limited knowledge and experience in shipping, but still picked it up. They took it as a challenge and they dedicated themselves to it.
Mr. Pradeep: We don’t have a corporate culture but we realize the importance of teamwork. We respect each of our staff as individuals and do our best to hone their unique qualities, not just the growth of the company but also for their own careers. So we provide all our employees complete freedom in their work areas and they utilize it effectively. Management goes deep into their career and to their personal problems. We have an open door policy which we have learnt from our owners.
Mr. Bassim knows each of the employees personally, including the new staff. Suffice to say, our employees show no hesitation in working after office hours and on weekends/ holidays of sheer dedication and commitment to their work and company.
IIK: Mr. Ravi & Mr. Bassim, coming from different cultures, how do your ideologies meet?
Mr. Bassim: We’re all a part of Kuwait. We’ve got employees from different parts of the world including 16 Kuwaitis, by and large every one working as a Team in putting their efforts for the total success of the organization.
IIK: Do you have business operations in India?
Mr. Ravi: We are proud to say that we are instrumental in bringing quite of cargo to the Kuwait Shores from various ports India. We also maintain a strong rapport with the Shipping Corporation of India and other Indian organizations, such as ALL CARGO/ECU, Trans Asia Lines , Carvel Lines , Lift & Shift , L&T and many big and small business houses all over India
Reshmi Naveen Gopal is a freelance writer. She is a post graduate in Communication and Journalism. She has worked with main stream print media and online journals. She has been a faculty in communication and journalism at a couple of colleges.
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